Shadows
by Sorna
Summary: A.U.- After the tape causes another death, Rachel and Noah discover more of the Morgans' dark secrets. Ch 4 up!
1. Requiem and a dream

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to "The Ring" and the song belongs to Eve 6.

A.N. My first "Ring" fic. R&R! No flames, just helpful suggestions if you've got any.

"Shadows"

Chapter One: "Requiem and a dream"

It was a typical cold and rainy Seattle day. But for Rachel Keller and her young son Aidan, it seemed even more somber than usual.

"I can't believe it." Rachel thought as she and Aidan got into the car. "Noah's really gone." Yet here she was, on the way to the cemetery. She turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking garage. The rain beat softly on the windows and although

the volume had been turned down really low, music from the radio could still be heard.

_"So denied so I lied are you the now or never kind  
In a day and a day love I'm gonna be gone for good again…"_

_"Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well"_

Rachel sighed, her thoughts drifting back to the last time she saw Noah.

Even after all of their fights and all the harsh words they exchanged, something happened that final week that made them realize what they had.

"But it was too little too late" she mused.

_"Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye  
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon" _

"I just wish I could've told him that I…"

She forced herself to concentrate on the road, and to keep her composure in front of Aidan. __

_"…All my time is froze in motion  
Can't I stay an hour or two or more  
Don't let me let you go…  
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well  
  
Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye  
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon" _

It was then, that Rachel noticed the song that happened to be playing and quickly reached down to turn off the radio. While her eyes were off the road, she almost didn't see that the car next to her was trying to turn. With a shriek, she grabbed the steering wheel and turned sharply away from the oncoming car. The other driver blasted the horn angrily as Rachel pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car.

"Shit!" she cried and let out a frustrated sob.

Aidan watched from the backseat. He knew it wasn't road-rage that was making Rachel so upset.

"You miss him" he observed. Rachel nodded. There was a soft click as Aidan undid his seatbelt, reached up, and hugged his mother.

**0000000**

After the funeral service, the mourners quietly headed back to their cars. But, Rachel stayed behind.

"Are you coming?" Aidan asked.

"Just a minute, sweetie" she replied "Go on ahead."

Rachel stood at the grave for a short while before whispering "Goodbye."

As she walked through the cemetery, one headstone in particular caught her eye. She walked up to it. The grave had a single vase of flowers sitting on it and the headstone read: "Samara Morgan"

Rachel glared. "Are you happy now?!" she thought angrily. "I hope you rot!" Out of spite, she kicked the flowers over and turned on her heal.

Just then she felt something clasp around her ankle. Rachel looked down and to her horror, she that saw a rotted hand, protruding from the grave was holding fast to her foot. She screamed. Everything was getting blurry. She heard Samara hiss. "It's your fault! He'd still be alive if it wasn't for you! You killed him!"

"Stop it!" Rachel cried, when suddenly she heard Noah's voice.

"Rachel... Rachel…Wake up!"

**0000000**

Rachel gasped, opening her eyes to find herself in Noah's car and apparently on the way back from Shelter Mountain. Noah pulled over and slammed on the brakes.

"Rachel, are you ok?" he asked, putting his arm around her reassuringly.

"Samara…" she rasped.

"Don't worry. We helped her, remember?" He started the car as Rachel leaned back in her seat.

"A Dream?" she thought. "It couldn't have been. It seemed so real…It might've been a premonition. But then, that would mean…Oh god..." She glanced nervously at Noah, who smiled at her.

"Make a copy of the tape, is that all you have to do?" she wondered. "No, you have to show it to someone else... Should I tell him? No, I can't. He'd never do that to someone… Then I'll _make_ him do it. But, how?" She knew that she'd better think fast. Aidan's words echoed in her mind.

"We don't have enough time…before we die."

**0000000**

After picking up Aidan at Ruth's house, they arrived at Rachel's apartment. Everything was happening just like in the dream. Rachel's stomach was turning flip-flops. Time was running out and she still had no idea how to warn Noah without telling him the truth. She put Aidan to bed and walked to the doorway where Noah was standing.

"Call me sometime," he said "unless you're renting a movie." He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Call me tomorrow and the day after that…"

"How about now?" Rachel asked, trying to buy more time. "Stay for a while?"

"Aw, Rach, I'd love to, but it's late. I really should be going."

Then, a perfect, yet awful, solution popped into Rachel's head and out of her mouth. "That assistant of yours, Beth was it?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's a film student, right? Well, I thought she could look at the tape and help us find out how it was made. If it's over, what's the harm?"

Rachel went back into the apartment and grabbed the original tape from her purse. She handed it to Noah. "I can't find the copy I made you and I'm gonna need this one back. You have a duplicator right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Great, you make her a copy and we'll all meet up at your place tomorrow at around seven A.M."

"Ok, sure" Noah said. "See you then." He started walking down the hall as Rachel closed the door.

The sick feeling that had come over her earlier had not diminished. In fact, it had worsened. "I can't _believe_ I just did that!" she thought. __Exhausted, she flopped down on the couch.

_"You had to…"_

Rachel sat bolt upright. She could've sworn that she'd heard a voice and it defiantly wasn't Aidan's. But after a few seconds, she decided it was probably nothing more than her guilty conscience. _Probably…_

A..N. To be continued, when my muse returns. I'm having serious writer block right now, but I'll see what I can do.

I figured if, someone else watched the tape it would open up a whole new Pandora's Box. Bwhahahaha!


	2. Beth, Lies, and Videotape

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to _"The Ring"_ or _"Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb."_

A.N. - Sorry this took so long. I've had the idea for this chapter for quite a while, but I've been a little busy. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter two: "Beth, Lies, and Videotape"

Sunlight filled the small meadow at Shelter Mountain. Slowly, as if in a trance, Rachel walked toward the well in the center of the field, and to the dark haired girl who stood beside it. The girl turned around. It was Beth. Completely unaware of what she was doing, Rachel threw the bag she was holding over Beth's head. Beth struggled furiously until Rachel hit her over the head with a loose rock from the well. Rachel looked down at lifeless corpse she was holding. It was then, that she became aware of her surroundings and of what she had just done.

"Oh god" she whispered "What happened?!" Panicked, she pushed the body into the well and started run away in the opposite, almost tripping over the long, black, dress she was wearing. Suddenly, a voice sounded from inside the well.

"Rachel!"

Rachel turned around to see Noah struggling to climb out of the well. She started toward him but before she could get there, a figure with long, dark, hair in it's face appeared behind Noah and pulled him back down into the depths of the well.

"Noah!!!" Rachel screamed.

**0000000**

For what must've been the third time that night, Rachel woke up with heart pounding. She sat there for a few seconds reminding herself that it was just a dream. Still shaking, she got out of bed and got a glass of water from the bathroom. When she got back, she checked the alarm clock. It was six thirty. She grabbed some clothes and started to get dressed.

**0000000**

Noah sipped his coffee as he watched the monitor on the duplicator. There was a knock at the door. He got up and opened it.

"Hey, Rach! C'mon in." They went over to the duplicator. It had finished copying the tape.

"The copy" Rachel thought. "Beth has to see the _copy_." She checked her watch. It was seven. She still had plenty of time. Noah hadn't seen the tape until eight ten the previous week.

"So, Noah, which one is the original?"

"This one" he said, pushing a button. One of the tapes popped out. Rachel quickly grabbed it and put it in her purse. Just then, the door burst open. Beth came in, carrying a large camera bag. "Hi, Noah!" she said briskly. "What's on this tape that you just had to show me? Is it amateur? Because you said the camerawork was-" Beth stopped in her tracks, noticing Rachel was there.

"Oh, _you're_ here…again."

"Yeah" Noah said. "She's the one working on the story. We could use your opinion on this tape."

"Let's see it then."

Noah took the copy out or the machine, placed it in the VCR, and pushed play. Rachel looked away, not wanting to see the grotesque images again. When she finally turned back, the last image on the tape had faded to static.

"Well" Beth said. "That was…interesting"

"Maybe it _is_ over." Rachel thought. "Maybe-"

_Brrrring__… Brrring…_

Beth reached into her bag and pulled out a cell phone. "Hello?" A confused expression came over her face. "Seven days? Seven days until what? Hello?!"

Noah pulled Rachel aside. "I thought you said it was over." He said with a hint of panic in his voice.

"I thought it was." Rachel replied.

"What's going on?" Beth chimed in.

Noah ignored her. "Then, why aren't _we_ dead? What's gonna happen to Aidan?!"

"I think I've got an idea" murmured Rachel.

She took the tape out of the VCR and gave it to Beth. "Copy this and show the copy to someone."

"What?" Beth eyed Rachel suspiciously. "Ok, that's it. What are the two of you up to?!"

"What are you talking about?" Noah asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Noah! You invite _her_ over Twice! Then, the two of you try to play a sick joke on me! Are you two _doing _something my back?!"

"What? No! Beth, we're not-"

"Oh yeah? Then, would you care to explain why you were moaning the name 'Rachel' a couple nights ago when we were-"

Rachel looked at Noah, wide eyed. He turned slightly red. "Look, Beth" Noah started.

"Forget it! Just forget it!" Beth stormed across the room and opened the door.

"Beth, you've-"

"Goodbye, Noah!!" She slammed the door behind her as she left.

"I'm sorry." Rachel said softly.

"Don't worry" said Noah. If she sees _half_ the things we saw in our sleep, she'll do it. I'll call her and make sure. What about Aidan?"

"I'll take care of it."

They sat in silence for a while until Rachel spoke again.

"Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"Is what Beth said true?"

"Which part?"

"When she said that you called out my name while the two of you were…"

Noah turned red again. "Err… Why do you ask?"

"Well" Rachel admitted. "It's just that I-I… I never stopped thinking about you either."

**0000000**

_"Aidan… Aidan… You'll never be rid of me. Everyone will suffer." _

"Go away! Leave me alone" Aidan mumbled as he tossed and turned before finally waking up. Trembling, he got out of bed and looked at the clock. It was six thirty A.M. More importantly, it was Thursday again. About a week ago, his mother had made him do the unthinkable. With a shudder, he got dressed and grabbed his book bag. As Aidan moved down the hall he heard a soft noise that sounded vaguely like static. He hurried into the living room. The TV screen was covered in static, but to Aidan's great relief, everything else seemed fine. He noticed Noah and Rachel curled up together, peacefully sleeping on the sofa. Aidan couldn't help but smile. "They must've fallen asleep after coming home from dinner last night" he thought. "I guess I'll leave now so I won't wake them up." He got a pencil and paper and wrote:

_"I went to school early. See you this afternoon._

_-Aidan"_

He grinned ruefully and added:

_"P.S. You two had better behave." _

Aidan put the note on counter and left the apartment.

**0000000**

Rachel lazily opened one eye to see the static on the TV. She Yawned, reached for the remote and turned it off. Noah started to stir. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and grinned.

"Morning"

He leaned forward and kissed her.

"Coffee?" Rachel offered. She rolled off the couch and made her way to kitchen. Noah followed. "You know," he said "I don't have to be at work for another hour."

"Me neither." Rachel said

"Wanna start another movie."

"Okay"

Noah grabbed the video boxes from the counter and noticed the note beside them. "Looks like Aidan left without us." He raised his eyebrows upon reading the last line. "P.S. you two had better _behave_." He grinned suggestively. "Interesting choice of words. Tisk, tisk, Rachel. What have you been teaching our son?"

"God forbid he becomes a pervert like his father."

They laughed. Noah pushed the tape _"Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"_ in to VCR and the duo returned to the couch.

Rachel leaned her head against Noah's shoulder. He smiled, putting his arm around her. After all the turmoil of the previous week, these past few days had been the some of the happiest Rachel had seen in quite a long time.

"I've won, Samara" She thought. "You can't hurt us anymore."

_Beep beep__ beep… _

"I'll get it." Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Hello?"

"Noah?"

"Beth... uh, hi..."

"Hey, did you notice anything wrong with the cameras? Because, I've been trying to take a self portrait all week and my face keeps turning out blurry. I've tried every type of film there is, but nothing's worked. Hold on… Crap. I'm gonna have to call you back. My TV keeps fuzzing out. The damn cable must be down again."

"Beth, wait! Didn't you make the copy? Hello?! Shit!"

Rachel sat up. "She _didn't_ copy it?!"

"Apparently, not." Noah grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

**0000000**

Rachel and Noah burst through the double doors into the lobby of Beth's apartment building. Noah pressed the elevator button and the doors opened.

"Stay here." He told Rachel as he got on.

"Noah, I really don't think you should-"

"Stay here!" He repeated firmly. The doors of the elevator closed.

"Shit!" Rachel looked around and saw an elderly woman sitting in one of the lobby chairs. "Excuse me," Rachel asked "Would you happen to know any one in this building named Beth?"

"Why, yes" the woman responded.

"Where does she live?"

"She's on the second floor, number two o seven."

"Thank you." Rachel dashed through the door labeled _Stairwell_ and raced up the stairs to the second floor. Upon arriving, she found room 207's door already open. Rachel entered into the living room. It was empty. "Hello?!" she called out. There was no answer. The carpet around the static-ridden television was drenched. The sight made Rachel cringe. She started down the hallway. Passing a large mirror on left, she noticed a door on the right. Light and water were seeping out from under it. She opened the door and found herself in the bathroom. Water was pouring out from behind the shower curtain and over the tub. She pulled back the shower curtain…and immediately wished she hadn't. Leaning against one of the corners, was Beth's rotting corpse. Rachel screamed.

She ducked out of the bathroom and moved further down the hall, into the bedroom. Noah was sitting on the floor, curled into a ball, rocking back and forth, and muttering "She never sleeps. She never sleeps." Rachel knelt down beside him.

"Noah?" she asked, her voice quavering a little. "Are you ok?" She reached out to him. He recoiled, backing away from her before continuing to mutter.

"She never sleeps. She never sleeps."

Rachel stared at him. Something was definitely wrong. His usually bright eyes now seemed hollow and vacant. An expression Rachel had seen before…on Becca.

_"They don't put you in booties and a straight jacket if you're just freaked out. Something scared the shit out of her." _

_"So, who's in the mental hospital?" _

_"Becca, Katie's friend."_

_"Oh, right, she was the one who was-"_

_"There…when it happened." _

Rachel remembered the conversation she had with Katie's friends at the funeral. Tears welled in her eyes as the realization dawned upon her. Becca and Noah had both seen something, something that had driven them both insane.

"Oh God" she whispered.

She threw her arms around him. "Noah, baby I'm so sorry." She closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I never meant for _this_ to happen."

Suddenly her eyes flew open and whether she realized it or not, five words came out of her mouth. In a voice, not her own, she said:

_"All I wanted was you."_

A.N. –To be continued, as soon as I solidify the rest of the chapters in my head. R&R! No flames! Or Samara will come out of your T.V.

He he he.


	3. The World Is Spinning

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Ring. Though I wouldn't _mind_ owning Noah, unfortunately I do not.

A.N. See? See? I told you I'd eventually get this up!

Chapter Three: "The World is Spinning"

_"Beth!" Noah called out. He could hear her screaming. He rushed down the hall, but skidded to a halt in front of a large mirror. He could see the reflection of the bathroom behind him. Beth stood, cowering in the corner the shower, and the decrepit little girl, who was standing there, pulled back her long, black, hair. Noah could only watch in horror as his former assistant opened her mouth as if to scream again. But instead, she began to rot away and fall back against the wall, dead. The little girl slowly turned to face Noah. She glared maliciously. Her face rotted and twisted with rage. Her eyes glowed brightly, as if fueled by a fiery, palpable, hatred. The room became engulfed in light…_

Noah opened his eyes, squinting at the florescent lights and bright, white, walls. Slowly coming to his senses, he remembered where he was, on the floor of his room at Eola County Psychiatric Hospital.

"Damn." he thought. "Do they _have_ paint these rooms white? It's enough to give anyone a migraine!" He stood up, his head throbbing. "Guess I fell out of bed…again." In the beginning, he had tried not to sleep, for every time he did, he saw the same thing. Those two faces always seemed to be there, lurking in the dark corners of his mind, always ready to replay the horror of that morning. Two faces, Samara's and _Beth's._ Just thinking about Beth brought a wave of guilt over Noah. He had never meant to hurt her. But, he couldn't help feeling that her death was his fault.

"If only I'd gotten to her sooner, or made _sure _she'd copied the tape, or…if I'd never shown it to her in the first place."

Noah sighed, knowing that his 'if onlys' were getting him nowhere. He surveyed the room again; this time noticing a brown grocery bag, with a note pined to it had been stashed in a corner. He opened it and dumped out it's contents. Bags of chips, crackers, cookies, four cans of soda, and other snacks fell to the floor. He ripped open a bag of Doritos. Shoving a few in to his mouth hungrily, he looked at the note. It read:

_"Dear Noah, _

_I thought you might like these because I've heard that the food here sucks. I've spoken to an attorney about getting you out._

_We're going to need the doctor's approval, which means he'll probably have to evaluate you again before he signs the release form. Take it easy for the next day or so. I'm coming in Monday to check in on you and to get things straightened out. _

_Hope you're doing ok! _

_Love always, _

_Rachel." _

Putting the food away, he decided to write back to her. He needed to talk to someone and patients were rarely allowed to use the phone.

"Besides" he thought, "If I went to the _doctors_, ranting about a killer video tape, they'd put me away for good!"

Noah found his door unlocked, as patients were permitted to leave their rooms during the day, as long as they stayed in the wing. The rest of the hospital was off limits. He wandered down the hall to the common room. The room was crowded, as usual, with people sitting around watching TV, or playing Solitaire or Dominos. He sat down at a small writing desk towards the back of the room and scribbled _"Dear, Rachel" _on a sheet of paper. Not knowing where to go from there, he twiddled the pen idly in his hand. It had just occurred to him that the Eola staff would probably read the letter before sending it, so he couldn't disclose any thing too private. He put his head down on the desk in frustration, when suddenly he noticed two, small, blue eyes peering up at him. Looking down, Noah noticed that they belonged to a small, blonde haired girl of about five.

"Helloooo" she cooed. "Whacha doooooin?" Noah didn't respond, but the little girl persisted. "Wanna come see my room? It's got all my toys and-"

"Maybe some other time" he murmured and looked away. Just then, something in the far corner of the room caught his eye. Samara Morgan was standing there, her gaze fixed upon Noah.

"Hey mister, are you ok?" The little blonde girl asked. Before she could say anything else, Noah bolted from the room. He dashed down the long corridor, stopping short at the corner to catch his breath. He peeked around the corner only to find himself face to face with Beth. She stared at him. Her eyes had a strange glow to them. Her skin was pale with hints of a sickly green. She was dripping wet.

"But, y-you were dead." Noah stammered.

_"And you should be too." _Her lips weren't moving, but he could hear her voice in his head. The image of Beth then faded to reveal Samara standing in her place, grinning sadistically up at Noah. _"You were the one who was supposed to die, not her." _She took a step foreword. Noah backed away. _"You killed her..."_

"No" he protested. "I thought it was over. I didn't know that-"

_"Liar"_ She hissed. _"You don't deserve to be let out of here." _

"Stop it!"

_"Murderer…"_

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

A few patients and orderlies stuck their heads of their rooms to see what all the noise was about. They saw Noah, alone, panting, and nervously glancing around. Then, out of panic and embarrassment, he turned and fled down the hall.

**0000000**

Rachel sat in Eola's waiting room, wondering, worrying. She hadn't heard form Noah since that fateful Thursday. The memory was still ripe in her mind. She had ridden with him in the ambulance, trying to hold him still as he thrashed about wildly. The EMTs eventually pulled out a needle and gave him a sedative. Shortly afterward, he passed out in her arms,

Rachel bit her lip, trying not to cry. "I wanted to _save_ him!" She thought angrily. "This wasn't what I had in mind!"

"Ms. Keller?" Rachel looked up to see a tall, muscular, orderly with the name "Leroy" on his badge.

"Yes, that's me."

"You're here to see…" he checked his clipboard. "Noah Clay, right?"

"Yes"

"Good, come with me." She followed Leroy down the hall, past two, younger, hospital workers who were laughing and making balloons out of plastic gloves. "Quit screwing around!" Leroy barked at them. "Get back to work or I'll be on you like-"

"White on rice" one of them said. "We know"

They entered a small room with a table and two chairs. Noah was sitting quietly at one of them. Rachel looked him over. He was pale and thinner than usual, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey" Rachel said softly as she sat down. "I've missed you." Noah stared at her blankly. She decided to try again. "Did you get the package I sent you?" Noah stood up, humming to himself. He walked over to the window and began drumming his fingers on the glass.

"Noah, I need you to tell me what you saw that day." He went over to her, leaned down, and in a slightly high-pitched, sing-song voice, he whispered:

"I'll never teeelllllllll."

A confused expression came over Rachel's face. That line had sounded vaguely familiar to her. Noah burst out laughing.

"Oh God, Rach, I'm sorry, but that look on your face was just priceless!"

"Noah!" She smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Ow! Hey! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a crazy person?"

Rachel stood up and hugged him. Noah smiled. "I've missed you too."

**0000000**

_Meanwhile…_

Dr. Scott, head of Eola County Psychiatric Hospital, sat in his office watching a tape on the monitor. He saw himself sitting at the table in the interview room. "This is N.C. zero, zero, one, seven, Noah Clay, hour seventeen." Noah was seated at the back of the room.

"Oooh NC-17?" he quipped. "What kinda film are you making here, Doc?" He laughed, albeit, weakly at his own joke.

"That isn't funny, Noah. Now, I need to ask you some questions."

"O-ok"

"I've heard you've been having been trouble sleeping. Why don't you tell me what's been keeping you up?"

There was a long pause. Noah looked anxious. He deliberately looked away. "Every time I try to sleep, she's there."

"Who, that friend of yours, Beth?"

"Her too"

"Who else?" Dr. Scott asked. Noah remained silent. "Noah? Noah, you're gonna have to talk to me if you ever want to get out."

"Girl…" Noah stammered "Long, black hair, white dress... She was at Beth's, now she's here."

Just then, the office door opened. A much younger doctor walked in. Dr. Scott pressed Stop on the remote control. "Hello, Doctor Brennan. Was there something you wanted?"

"Yes, there's a women here to see Mr. Clay and she's asking for a release form."

"A release form?" Dr. Scott smirked. "Are you kidding? The man's delusional!"

"That's not what worries me. Have you noticed any unusual patient behavior lately?"

"Such as?"

"One of my patients, Stuart Whitman, usually the quietest person on the hall, was yelling and ranting about an 'angel of death' coming for him last night. I've had at least five other patients with similar complaints, including Clay."

"What's your point?"

Dr. Brennan pulled a folder from his clipboard and held it up. It was labeled: Morgan, Samara. "An angel of death" he continued "with long black hair and a white dress."

Dr. Scott's eye's widened. "Where did you get that?"

"Funny thing is, all this started when Noah Clay and Rebecca Kotler were admitted. What's more strange, both of them were admitted for severe post traumatic stress after witnessing the death of a friend, who died under, shall we say, 'mysterious circumstances.'"

"Give that to me!" Dr. Scott snapped, grabbing the folder. "There are things in here that don't need to be dug up."

"Whatever you're hiding is gonna get out a lot faster if we keep Clay and Kotler here."

"_No one_ is going to receive a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card as long as I'm in charge. Is that understood?"

Dr. Brennan nodded and left the office.

**0000000**

Rachel sat on Noah's lap, listening to his stories of Eola's very 'colorful' residents.

"I was sitting in the cafeteria," he began. "when suddenly, this dude throws his mashed potatoes at me. So I ask him why he did it and he said: 'I don't like you, Mr. Bush! I don't care if you're the president of the United States, I don't like you!' "

Rachel laughed. She was relieved to see that Noah was still, more or less, himself, even after what happened. He still had that gleam in his eyes, mischievous grin, and wry sense of humor. She had really missed all those things about Noah during the years they were separated.

"If only we could be alone…" she thought, resting her head against his chest. The door opened. A young doctor walked in and sat down. "Hello, I'm Dr. Brennan. You must be Noah's…wife?"

"No." Rachel corrected. For she had put down 'Significant Other' on the visitor's form "We're not married."

"I see."

As the conversation went on, Noah began to tune out, focusing only on the woman in his lap.

"God, she's gorgeous!" He mused. He remembered spending many long nights awake, haunted by horrific visions, wishing she was with him. Noah was convinced that thinking about Rachel was the only way he had gotten through those nights.

"So, Noah, how have you been adjusting these past few weeks?" Dr. Brennan's voice pulled Noah out of his reverie.

"Fine… I guess. Not such a bad place you've got here. At least my fellow inmates are friendly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I met this little girl in common room the other day, about five years old, very talkative."

Dr. Brennan looked puzzled. "Five years old? Are you sure?"

"Uh huh, she had short, blonde hair, blue eyes, not hard to miss."

"I haven't seen anyone like _that_ around here."

"Me neither" said Leroy. "The youngest person registered here is Becca Kotler, sixteen."

"Oh" Noah said flatly, his hopes of going home deflated like a balloon with hole in it.

"Well" Dr. Brennan said, trying to sound optimistic. "Usually I could release you, under the care of a friend or family member. Unfortunately, Dr. Scott has been a bit… stingy with the release forms. But I'm sure I can convince him otherwise. In the meantime, get some rest. People will start to see all sorts of strange things when they're sleep-deprived." And with that, he left the room.

"Great" Noah muttered. "Looks like I just shot myself in the foot there, huh?"

"You'll be fine." Rachel said reassuringly. "I _will_ get you out of here, ok?" Noah looked skeptical. Rachel kissed him softly. "I promise" she whispered.

**0000000**

The last rays of pale sunlight were sinking beneath the cloudy horizon. Noah sat in a corner of his room as the light faded. Later, at around ten o'clock, he heard the sounds of Eola's staff walking the hallways, shutting off all the lights, and seeing some of the more 'unstable' patients to bed.

"No! Don't leave me!" cried a voice from the other side of the wall.

"Now Mr. Whitman," echoed Dr. Brennan's voice. "It's time for bed."

"No! No! You don't understand! She's coming for me! She's-" There was a loud crash, then the sounds of a brief scuffle, a short pause, a door opened and closed, footsteps walking away, and then, nothing. Silence. Dead silence and dead darkness. Two things that made Noah cringe. He couldn't help feeling like he was four years old again. He clearly remembered how he used to jump at every small noise and how his father would yell at him to shut up and go back to bed whenever he tried to turn the light back on. Now, everything he had seen made him again wonder if there were things lurking in the darkness, waiting for him. An hour or so passed. Noah had been trying, unsuccessfully, to stay awake. He was about to doze off, when a sharp 'click' made him flinch. His door opened and in stepped the little, blonde girl.

"Hi!" she chirped. Noah backed away as she walked over to him.

"You're not real" he stammered.

"Of course I am, silly! Come on! I wanna show you something!" She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him up. Noah wouldn't budge.

"How did you get in here?" he asked.

"Through the door" she answered, as if it was the most obvious question ever. "Now, come on!"

Though he didn't know why, Noah slowly rose and allowed himself to be lead out of the room by the little girl. They moved down the dark hallway. Moonlight (when it occasionally came out from behind the clouds) streamed in through the windows, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Looking down the corridor, it seemed to stretch endlessly, like the labyrinth of Greek mythology. It was also unusually cold. "Did they forget to turn on the heat or something?" Noah wondered, shivering. It was then he noticed something. At the far end of the hallway, something on the wall shimmered in the moonlight. He stopped and pulled his hand from the little girl's grip. "Wait here" he told her as he rushed ahead to the wall in the distance. Upon arriving, Noah found that a huge Japanese maple tree had been painted on the wall. "The tree from the tape" he said quietly. He dipped his fingers into the paint. It was sticky and runny. He put some of it into his mouth and immediately spat it back out. The bitter taste was unmistakable. It was blood. He spun back around only to find his way blocked by Samara Morgan. She stood there, rotting, wet, glowering, her eyes still filled with that fiery rage. Noah took off as fast as he could down the left hall. The sound of a child singing began to fill the corridor.

_"The world is spinning. When it stops, it's just beginning."_

And it was. At least to Noah it was. The whole room seemed spinning as he fought to keep his balance.

_"Sun comes up, we laugh and we cry. Sun goes down, and then we all die."_

Everything was blurring. Images flashed through Noah's mind. _Flash:_ A finger being pressed down on a nail. _Flash: _A grief-stricken Anna Morgan whispering "All I ever wanted-" _Flash:_ A distraught Rachel "-was you." _Flash:_ An angry Richard Morgan. "My wife was not supposed to have a child!" _Flash:_ Samara Morgan. "But, he doesn't know…" _Flash:_ His childhood home. His father towered above him, shaking his fist, screaming "Dammit, Noah! If you turn that light on _one_ more time…" _Flash:_ A remote cabin in the woods. A woman's sharp cry sounded. A man called out "Anna!"

Then, everything faded. Noah collapsed to the floor and lost consciousness.

A.N. And here is where I must leave you… for now. I will post again when I have resolved some issues with the ending. Please, R&R, no flames! Peace out!


	4. Don't Fear the Reaper

Disclaimer: I don't own _The Ring_, and the song _Don't Fear the Reaper_ belongs to Blue Oyster Cult.

A.N: Hey, it's me again! Surprisingly, I'm not dead… and neither is this story, so please R&R!

Chapter Four: "Don't Fear the Reaper"

_"Oh God, is he ok?!"_

_"How did he get here?"_

_"I thought the rooms were supposed to be locked." ___

Noah slowly opened his eyes. Four orderlies stood above him looking very perplexed. Glancing around, he found himself lying on the floor of the hallway he had wondered down the night before. But, the painting of the bloody tree was gone. "When will this end?" he thought. "Every day I wake up with a hangover and no idea where the hell I am. It's almost like being back at college…" As he sat up, he noticed a strange mark around his wrist. It looked almost like a burn, in the shape of a child's hand print.

"Out of the way, out of the way" came Dr. Scott's voice as he pushed past the orderlies. "Noah! You _know_ you're not supposed to leave your room at night. How did you get out?"

"I-I don't know." Noah stammered. Dr. Scott muttered something under his breath before reaching down, grabbing Noah by the wrist, and pulling him up off the floor. It was at that moment, something strange happened. An image flashed through Noah's mind. It looked like a room in Eola's basement. A large man was on top of a struggling, dark haired, woman.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" the man snarled. There was a strange clicking sound, and someone murmuring "Twenty eight, six, forty two, twelve" It didn't take Noah long to recognize the voice and the woman. It was Dr. Scott and-

"Anna Morgan" Noah uttered the words almost inaudibly, but they were not lost on Dr. Scott, who whipped around and stared at him in surprise.

"What did you do?!" Noah hissed.

"Please escort Mr. Clay back to his room." Dr. Scott told the orderlies in a somewhat irritated tone. He then began to walk away, disappearing down the hall.

**0000000**

"What happened? How did I do that?" Noah wondered as he sat on his bed. The very idea of mind reading seemed ridiculous to him, but there was nothing else he could think of to explain it. "It's like I just …reached in and saw it. Hmmm… I wonder…" He decided to try something. He made his way to the common room once again and scanned the room for a potential 'test subject.' Noah picked out a dark haired, young, woman in a ratty bathrobe, who was sitting alone in a corner. He placed his hand on her shoulder and cleared his mind.

_Reach._

He saw the image of a red haired girl scream in terror and rot away just as Beth had. Then he saw the all too familiar face of Samara Morgan. Noah quickly pulled his hand away as the young woman turned around. She looked about sixteen with dark, brown, lonely eyes.

"You've seen her too" she said softly, staring up at Noah. Just then, a nurse peered in through the door.

"Becca" she called. "Becca, your parents are here to see you."

Sullenly, Becca turned and followed the nurse out of the room.

**0000000**

Peaking around the coroner of the hall adjacent to the waiting room, Noah eyed a door, not too far from the front desk, labeled: _Basement: Archives_. He knew that if he was going to find answers, he'd have to get into the record room. Unfortunately, he'd also have to get past the orderlies and security guards who stood in his way. Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"So, we meet again, Mr. Bush."

Noah turned to see Lyle, the man who had flung mashed potatoes at him a few days earlier. "Oh no! Not _you_ again!"

"You don't fool _me_, Mr. Bush. Ah know you're the Antichrist."

"What?! I'm not the- ugh, never mind. I don't have time for this." Talking to Lyle was pointless. Most of the staff just ignored his rants.

"If you ain't the Antichrist, then who is?"

"Uh…Kato Kaelin?"

Lyle's eyes widened. He gasped. "Wait a minute! Of course, why didn't ah think of that?!"

Noah got an idea. "Yeah" he said, pointing to one of the orderlies. "Kato Kaelin, and he's standing right over there." Lyle charged into the room and pounced on the young hospital worker. The poor employee didn't even see it coming. "Ah! Get it off! Get it off!" he screamed.

"Come on, Kato!" Lyle taunted. "Show me whatcha got! What's a matta?! You need to call your buddy O.J.?! Huh?! Huh?!"

As the other orderlies and security guards worked to subdue the crazed patient, Noah snuck past the chaos, unnoticed, and slipped through the basement door. He crept down the stairs and into the record room, praying no one else was in there. He walked along the long rows of file cabinets and decided to look over Anna Morgan's file again to see if there was something he'd missed. But, finding nothing, he moved on to Samara Morgan's file, and Dr. Scott's, and eventually to the record of the few malpractice complaints Eola had received over the years. Still, there was nothing to explain what he had seen. Unsure of what to do next, Noah leaned against a tarp-covered wall, pondering his next move. Suddenly, the tarp came loose, sending Noah crashing to the floor. He cursed under his breath and pulled himself up. It was then that he noticed a row of lockers that had been hidden under the tarp.

_"Twenty eight, six, forty two, twelve"_

"Of course!" he thought. It all made sense now. He grabbed the pad-lock on the first locker and tried the combination. Nothing happened. He tried the second one. "Twenty eight, six, forty two, twelve"

It opened with a satisfying 'click.' Inside the locker, a small, antiquated surveillance camera and a tape cartridge rested on the top shelf and an old monitor and a tangle of wires on the bottom. Being what Rachel described as a 'video geek', it didn't take Noah long to assemble ancient equipment. Afterward, he inserted the tape into the camera, pressed play, and watched the scene unfold on the monitor.

True to Noah's vision, Dr. Scott sat on top of a struggling Anna Morgan, trying to force her lips against his.

"Get off me!" she cried."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Dr. Scott barked. They grappled for a few minutes. Dr. Scott smacked Anna and then tried to move in closer, until she kneed him in the stomach and pulled herself free. She dashed out of the room, leaving Dr. Scott alone. Just then, Noah heard a door slam at the top of the stairs.

"Shit!" he hissed. Someone was coming. He quickly took the tape out of the camera, stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans, and then shoved the rest of the equipment back into the locker. He heard the sound of foot steps coming closer. Deciding that he didn't have enough time to put the tarp back up, Noah searched franticly for a place to hide. He ran down the aisle way of cabinets and turned the corner only to run smack into Dr. Brennan.

"Oh! Uh, hey, Doc" Noah said, trying to sound casual. "What's happening?"

The doctor, however, did not seem amused.

"What are you doing down here, Noah?" he demanded.

"Um, well, you see-"

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call security."

"No, no, Wait! You have to take a look at this first." Noah took the tape out of his pocket and handed it to Dr. Brennan.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Something that'll make your boss a bit more generous with those release forms"

**0000000**

"God, I can't believe it!" said Rachel as she climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door. "A doctor _attacks_ one of his patients and _no one _says anything!"

"I know" replied Noah. "What I don't get is, why Anna never spoke up about it."

"Maybe she was too afraid to, or even if she did say something, maybe no one believed her."

After Noah's discovery of the surveillance tape, Dr. Scott was immediately fired from Eola Psychiatric. Dr. Brennan, who had been elected Eola's new president, was more than willing to sign the papers authorizing Noah's release.

Rachel started the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

"Noah?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"How did you know?"

"About what?"

"About Dr. Scott, Anna, the tape…"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Well… he was thinking about it and…I saw it."

"You read his mind?"

"Yeah, Wait. How'd you know?"

"I think Becca can do it too. I went to visit her a while back. She knew exactly how many days I had left, _without _me telling her."

"Really?" Noah looked down toward the floor, somewhat anxiously. Rachel decided to change the subject.

"Wanna get some lunch?" she offered, and turned into the parking lot of a Mc Donald's.

"I thought you hated fast food."

"I do. But, last time I saw you, you said you'd do anything for a Big Mac. I can't imagine why, though."

"Aw, come on, Rach" Noah teased playfully. "How can you _hate_ Mc. Donald's?"

"Are you kidding? The grease alone is enough to kill you."

**0000000**

Later on, Rachel and Noah sat in the car, finishing their lunch.

"Do you think it's over?" Rachel asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean."

"Oh, right, _that_. I doubt it."

"Why?"

Noah pealed back the sleeve of his jacket, revealing the mark on his arm. He told Rachel everything he had seen in the hallway that night. He described the ghost-like, little, blonde, girl and the blood-red tree on the wall.

"The tree from Shelter Mountain Inn…" Rachel mused.

"Exactly. That's why I think we should go back there for a few days. Maybe there's something we missed."

Rachel's eyes widened. "What?! Are you crazy?!"

"Fresh out of the loony bin" Noah replied with a small smile.

"I'm serious." Rachel said. "It's a bad idea."

"Come on! How bad could it be? If we don't find anything we can go home."

Rachel sighed. "Oh, alright" she said. "But, just for a few days." As she started the car up again, the radio came on. The sound of some very familiar guitar chords filled the air.

"Oooh!" Noah exclaimed. "I love this song!" He reached down, turned up the volume, and then began drumming his fingers on the dashboard as he mouthed the words.

_"All our times have come.  
Here but now they're gone.  
Seasons don't fear the reaper,  
Nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain. We can be like they are.  
Come on, baby. Don't fear the reaper.  
Baby, take my hand. Don't fear the reaper.  
We'll be able to fly. Don't fear the reaper.  
Baby, I'm your man..."_

Rachel laughed, both at Noah's antics and the irony of the lyrics. "Maybe this trip won't bee so bad after all." She thought. As much as she hated the idea of going back to Shelter Mountain, she was glad that Noah was with her.

_"Valentine is done.  
Here but now they're gone.  
Romeo and Juliet  
Are together in eternity.  
40,000 men and women everyday...like Romeo and Juliet  
40,000 men and women everyday...redefine happiness  
Another 40,000 coming everyday. We can be like they are  
Come on, baby. Don't fear the reaper  
Baby, take my hand. Don't fear the reaper  
We'll be able to fly. Don't fear the reaper  
Baby, I'm your man..." _

**0000000**

It was almost sun-down by the time Rachel and Noah reached Shelter Mountain Inn. They rented a cabin and settled in for the night. Rachel sat on the small porch admiring the view. A sliver mist rolled off the lake and the ferns, the moss, and the trees all shone a brilliant green in the muted, fading sunlight. It seemed hard to believe that such a beautiful place could conceal such a dark past. Rachel decided to go in and check on Noah. She found him sitting on the couch, watching one of the few, static-filled TV stations that Shelter Mountain received.

"What are you watching?" Rachel asked as she sat down next to Noah. On the screen, there was a large man in a cowboy hat, who was holding a Bible in his right hand. "Now, The Lord can always see us," the man shouted in a thick, southern, accent. "No matter _what_ we do!"

Rachel smirked. "Oh, God! Not the Televangelist Channel!"

"None of the other stations are working." Noah said glumly.

"My grandmother watched this all the time, used to really freak me out as a kid."

"No shit. My dad watched it non-stop when he went through his 'You-must-go-back-to-Jesus-or-go-to-Hell' phase."

Suddenly, a woman appeared on the screen. Her eyes were wide and she was wearing _way_ too much make-up. In shrill voice, she screamed "Praaaaaaaaaise The Lord!"

Rachel and Noah flinched, somewhat startled, then they began to laugh hysterically.

"Damn," said Noah. "Of all the things I've seen these past few weeks, _that_ has got to be the scariest!" He switched off the TV. Rachel moved closer to Noah, who affectionately wove his arms around her. She smiled and closed her eyes. Just then, Noah let go abruptly. He got off the couch and backed away from her.

"Noah?" Rachel asked. "What is it?"

Noah just stared at her. The expression on his face was a mixture of shock and disgust.

"You knew!" he said bitterly.

Rachel rose slowly. "What are you talking about?"

"That night when you told me to show Beth the tape…You knew it wasn't over."

"I had to do it! You were running out of time! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because, I know you! You would've self-righteously, just thrown your life away like some sort of God damn martyr!"

"I'm just not willing to fuck somebody else over just to save my own-"

"Exactly! I knew that would happen! Don't you get it? I didn't have a choice!"

"It wasn't _your_ choice to make, Rachel!"

"It was either you or her! I did what I had to do."

"Even if it meant she was gonna _die?!_"

"But, it also meant that you _wouldn't_!"

"Oh, right! That's the important thing!" Noah snapped. "Sure, I'm alive, a little fucked up in the head, maybe, but still-"

"I didn't know _that_ would happen! I never wanted-"

"Well, then, what _did_ you want?!"

"YOU, NOAH!" Rachel nearly choked on the words. Tears ran down her cheaks freely now. She ran across the room and threw herself down on the edge of the bed. She buried her face in her hands as a small sob escaped her throat. "I just wanted you" she whispered.

Noah was quite taken aback by this. He stood there for a few seconds, pondering what Rachel had just said. It was true; she had lied to him, and tricked him into taking a life. But, she did it to save his. She was willing to kill for him. With that realization, he began to feel more than slightly guilty for yelling at her. Noah crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Rachel. She looked up at him.

"I had a dream that night, in the car" Rachel said, her voice shaking a little. "I saw what would've happened if you didn't… I saw what she would've done to you... I had to do something! I couldn't let that happen! I just-"

"Shhh" Noah said softly. He smiled and placed his hand on her cheek, brushing away a stray tear with his thumb.

"I never should've brought you into this" said Rachel. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not." Noah whispered. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She threw her arms around his neck, eagerly returning the gesture. The kiss deepened as their lips opened and closed hungrily. Rachel laid back on the mattress, pulling Noah down with her. And with one hand, she reached over to the bed-side table, and switched off the light.

_"Love of two is one.  
Here but now they're gone.  
Came the last night of sadness,  
And it was clear she couldn't go on.  
Then the door was open and the wind appeared.  
The candles blew and then disappeared.  
The curtains flew and then he appeared, saying 'Don't be afraid.'  
Come on, baby. And she had no fear.  
And she ran to him. Then they started to fly.  
They looked backward and said goodbye. She had become like they are.  
She had taken his hand. She had become like they are.  
Come on, baby. Don't fear the reaper." _

**0000000**

Sometime in the middle of the night, Aidan awoke suddenly, and crawled out of bed. Yet, for the first time, it was not a nightmare, nor anxiety that disturbed his sleep. He was simply thirsty. He quietly crept across the guest-room floor, and into the hall. Not wanting to wake his aunt and uncle, he decided to leave the lights off. Rachel had left him at her sister Ruth's house the day before. She told him that she wouldn't be gone for too long and apologized repeatedly for leaving him again. But to Rachel's great surprise, Aidan had been very understanding. He knew that his aunt and uncle enjoyed his company, especially since losing their daughter, Aidan's cousin, Katie. He also knew very well what had happened to his father and that his parents needed some time to "sort things out" as Rachel had said. The thought made Aidan smile. Not too long ago, one of his classmates had asked him; "How come you have a mommy, but no daddy? Why don't you have both?"

This remark had upset him at the time, but now, he was amused by it. He was amused, because he knew that soon, he _would_ have "both." Aidan entered the bathroom, took the cup off the sink, and filled it with water. As he started to take a sip, he caught a glimpse of the mirror. His eyes widened in fear. In the mirror, he saw the very thing that haunted his dreams, a thin, spectral, little girl. She stood with her long, black, hair, obscuring half her face. She was white as death and her cold, dark, eyes studied Aidan curiously for a moment. Then, she smiled, as if greeting an old friend. She beckoned to Aidan, looking at him as if to say "Come with me."

Aidan, still petrified, shook his head.

"No" he whispered.

"Why not?" she asked. "Are your mommy and daddy going to miss you?" She grinned cruelly. Aidan dropped the cup and bolted down the hall, back to his room. He slammed the door behind him, jumped onto the bed, and dove under the covers.

**0000000**

Rachel sat awake, listening to the boom of thunder outside. Usually she didn't mind thunderstorms, as long as there was the sound of rain which usually put her to sleep. But, tonight had been oddly dry. She shivered. The room had become considerably colder and it weighed down on her like a lead blanket. Rachel gazed at Noah's sleeping form beside her. Just a few minutes ago, everything seemed perfect. During that brief ecstasy, she was able to forget her current predicament. All those feelings of fear, guilt, and foreboding had melted away and nothing else had existed except for Noah and herself. But, now that they had stopped, it was as if all that anxiety was rushing back to her at once. And with it came all the horrific memories of the past few weeks. One particular memory stuck in Rachel's mind, the one that disturbed her most of all. It was from the dream she had, the precognitive image of herself dashing into Noah's apartment, only to find his rotting corpse. It made her sick to think of how close she had come to losing him. But, the fact remained, if she hadn't heeded the dream and acted when she did, Noah would be lying in the ground instead of in the bed next to her. She heard a soft groan. Noah sat up, yawning.

"Whoa, Jesus, it's cold in here!" he said. Then he sheepishly added; "I guess we'd better get some clothes on."

They got dressed and climbed back into the bed. Noah looked over at Rachel. She was shivering.

"You okay?" Noah asked.

"Yeah" Rachel said. "Just a little cold"

"Come here." Noah whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. It was then that Rachel decided to say it. She knew she had to, because something was telling her that if she didn't say it to him now, she may never get another chance. That, and the mental image of finding him dead, caused her to just blurt it out.

"I love you, Noah." she said softly.

Noah smiled, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you too, Rach."

Rachel closed her eyes, still shivering, but not from the cold.

The two of them slept that night, completely unaware that their passion had stirred the embers of a dire secret, which lay in the very ground beneath them, and that the sins of the past would soon be rekindled.

A.N: That's all for this chapter. I _will_ write more when I get a chance. Creepiness ahead, I promise.


End file.
